Sometimes, there’s something about a rainy day that has you craving the complete opposite of a hot toddy. Call it living in denial; call it a daydream. I experienced one of those oh-hey-it’s-gonna-rain-like-this-until-Spring days in Portland last weekend. I slept in, which I never do anymore, missed the farmers markets, almost didn’t know what to do with myself, and found myself shop-wandering at Fubonn, picking up local tofu, buckwheat noodles, nori, yet another bottle of soy sauce, restocking on ginger, and going wild in the canned juice aisle of wonder. Thanks to Janessa, I’ve learned that champagne cocktails are a way of life, and that’s where the following comes into play.

I know they're canned and all, but holy crapsicle, these are fun!

I tend to pick up a can of lychees, the sweet scallops of the fruit world, every few visits. Lychee martinis have been a longtime favorite of my sister and I, because a) they’re exotic and b) they happen to be the inexpensive martini option at a lounge in NYC we’ve found ourselves return to time and time again, specifically for said lychee martinis. They’re adorable. I kid you not, I was on the phone with my sister last night, and she was on her way to pick up lychees from Whole Foods (which must have been, what, $8 for a can?) for evening martinis with her boyfriend, while I was planning on mixing some lychee cocktails that same night for a tiny soiree I was hosting later on. We were pretty amazed and impressed with ourselves, thousands of miles apart, for turning to a can of imported tropical fruit for cocktail making. Oh, sisters.

What I’m about to share is not the recipe for a lychee martini, because I’m hoping (and begging) Jenny, who just started using WordPress this past summer, will chime in with her concoction at some point this month. Instead, it’s a step in a similar, but more sparkling, direction, because like I said, the ladies behind VVC do enjoy our bubbles.

Lychee Champagne* Cocktail

3 parts vegan-friendly champagne or sparkling wine, or as desired1 part brandy1 part lychee juice (optional: sub young coconut or guava juice)2-3 lychees and a spoonful of juiceice

Gently stir together the brandy, juice and lychees in a large wine glass or giant champagne flute. Add ice, top with champagne, as desired, let settle, and garnish.

Suggested garnish: lime wedge, asian pear, skewered lychee

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Why don't I own giant champagne flutes? WHY?!

*Okay, not really. Actual champagne is from the Champagne region of Northern France, and this wasn’t, but it just has a ring to it.